Possibles bag size?

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exophysical

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Slave Lake AB
I'm new to muzzleloading, and so far I've just been using a shooting box to haul my junk around but I think its time to invest in a possibles bag. I was just wondering how big of a bag one usually needs for hunting? Other than the basic muzzleloading stuff I would need for a day of hunting I wouldn't mind some extra room so I can stuff a bottle of water, a warm undershirt or light sweater, and a tin or two of sardines in there as well. Is this going to work or should I be using a backpack or something to tote the "extra stuff" around and keep the possibles bag small?

I was planning to pick up a Frost River bag, since I have a few of their waxed canvas canoe packs and have found them to be excellent, but I'm open to suggestions.
 
This' my personal feeling on the subject, so grain of salt recommended.

If you're carrying anything bulky or heavy I'd suggest a backpack - possibles bags tend to be just for your BP shooting supplies. Think of them like a cleaning kit, but one that helps you shoot too. Something in the realm of a medium to small handbag. Since it's by your side and bouncing around something heavy/bulky is more of a pain in the butt than anything. Biggest you'd want to go is in the realm of hand length wide and tall by palm deep. Most bags are smaller than that
https://www.google.ca/search?q=poss...TeVOm6C5GyogTM_4CIBg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_

Generally a more rigid bag helps you out as you poke around looking for the thing you want while holding a rifle. I'm redesigning for that reason, but my specs are to be able to keep a knife, roll of patch material, balls, caps, cleaning tools, starters, measure and spare powder, with a little extra space so you don't have to unpack it to reach other things.


This is a decently comprehensive kit - http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii573/Gru###/BC/PossiblesBag004a.jpg

I should also add that making a possibles bag is pretty easy and quite fun - lots of videos on youtube about cutting/molding/stitching leather and the product's always something you'll like having.
 
I think that the most crucial thing to remember, is not how much crap you can haul around in your possibles bag, but how quickly you can get into it, and get the stuff you need for a second shot. A pre-measured powder charge, a patch, ball, and cap. Short starter. It is standard operating procedure for me now, to reload as quick as possible, even if my deer is stretched right out. I had one that I though was dead, jump up and run like Ben Johnson off into the bush, and I was left standing there with my empty rifle in my hand! So, you don't need a sandwich and dry gotch and a dirty picture of your wife in there, all that stuff is better off in your backpack. Oh, and my next one is going to be made of fairly stiff harness leather, and hung on my belt, rather than a floppy man-purse thing. As always, YMMV.
Glen
PS, at one time, I used a little fanny pack, worked about as well as anything I've tried.
PPS, didn't mean to mock you post. It is a perfectly good thread, and well worth discussing.
G
 
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Two words and a pic...Bullet board.
hqdefault.jpg
 
I use a loading block when hunting with my rifles, and last year we loaded my son's shotgun with pre-loaded bottles from his possibles bag.
I don't have an issue with loading fairly quickly from pouch and horn, but he really liked the pre- measured charges.
About the only thing I carry in a possibles bag besides extra patches is a bit of lube, a nipple wrench, spare nipples and caps,some spare patch and cleaning cloths, cleaning jags with a small bottle of solvent, and a screw driver.
The shot is in horn , and so is the powder. If I am shooting the rifle when hunting , I carry some extra balls in the possibles bag as well.
I don't use a powder flask as a rule.
My bags have two compartments, and I keep shotgun wads in the smaller one.
Cat
 
Easyrider said:
I think that the most crucial thing to remember, is not how much crap you can haul around in your possibles bag, but how quickly you can get into it, and get the stuff you need for a second shot. A pre-measured powder charge, a patch, ball, and cap. Short starter. It is standard operating procedure for me now, to reload as quick as possible, even if my deer is stretched right out. I had one that I though was dead, jump up and run like Ben Johnson off into the bush, and I was left standing there with my empty rifle in my hand! So, you don't need a sandwich and dry gotch and a dirty picture of your wife in there, all that stuff is better off in your backpack. Oh, and my next one is going to be made of fairly stiff harness leather, and hung on my belt, rather than a floppy man-purse thing. As always, YMMV.
Glen
PS, at one time, I used a little fanny pack, worked about as well as anything I've tried.
PPS, didn't mean to mock you post. It is a perfectly good thread, and well worth discussing.
G
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No problem, this is the kind of opinion I was fishing for. The thing is I absolutely hate using a backpack if I can avoid it, when hunting with a centerfire or bow I usually fit everything I need for a day of hunting in my pockets. I have a small stuff sack of essentials in my backpack that gets dispersed throughout my various pockets and off I go, usually leaving the rest of the pack in camp or the pickup. However the ability to bring some "just in case stuff" like a rain poncho, an extra layer for my torso, or some bug spray as conditions warrant is appealing sometimes. I had previously considered getting a fanny pack for such items but being something of a minimalist I figured I could just press the possibles bag into double duty. Maby just going with a fanny pack, or using both when needed would be a better option.
 
plinker 777 said:
Two words and a pic...Bullet board.
hqdefault.jpg
Click to expand...

I have a hunting vest with the ammo holders along the chest. The black powder is stored in spent brass - 30-06 brass hold 70 grains and a .45 ACP brass is used as a lid. If you can get .45 Colt brass that's better, as it is longer. So in all I have more than enough for all my hunting adventures without all the bulk (no powder horn or measure,spent brass used to hold the main charge and priming were premeasured. I use 3f for both. Bullet board for the patch and round ball. And some clean parches in a mini ziplock bag.)

It may not be traditional, but very effective and quick reloading form hunting purposes.
 
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my possibles bag is at a guess, around 10" wide and 8" deep and has an internal pocket plus a knife sheath for a patch knife. If I were going to change it (and I am tempted), the top of the internal pocket would come closer to the top of the bag. At present items kept separate in it tend to spill into the main bag. In the main bag I keep balls and patches and a flint wallet with spare flints, also a powder measure. In the pocket I keep a small sharpening stone (2" square and 3/8" thick) a screw driver and vent pick and a small brass drift for knapping the flint. I don't find it limiting in terms of reloading, particularly if I precut my patches.

cheers mooncoon
 
exophysical said:
No problem, this is the kind of opinion I was fishing for. The thing is I absolutely hate using a backpack if I can avoid it, when hunting with a centerfire or bow I usually fit everything I need for a day of hunting in my pockets. I have a small stuff sack of essentials in my backpack that gets dispersed throughout my various pockets and off I go, usually leaving the rest of the pack in camp or the pickup. However the ability to bring some "just in case stuff" like a rain poncho, an extra layer for my torso, or some bug spray as conditions warrant is appealing sometimes. I had previously considered getting a fanny pack for such items but being something of a minimalist I figured I could just press the possibles bag into double duty. Maby just going with a fanny pack, or using both when needed would be a better option.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, seems to me what you're inquiring about is more like what I refer to as my "oh sh1t" bag. (possibles bag is for your gun...all stop.) In my "oh sh1t" bag however, I carry everything that would ease the question of "oh sh1t! {fill in the blank} has happened...now what!?" The answer is ALWAYS in that bag (and gotten me out of the sh1t more times than I can count). When I'm in the bush THAT bag goes everywhere with me, always.

As some have said, there is a lot of merit to having an attachment to the waist rather than the "man purse" set up. I like and use a hybrid of a belt/waist attachment with an adjustable crossed shoulders strap. I find this to not move around, getting caught, doesn't swing around, stays close to the body and yet easily accessible.
 
Something that has simplified my kit has been a good Leatherman tool. My particular model has two knives (smooth and serrated) two screw drivers, saw blade, pliers, scissors, file, and some other stuff I can't remember. Some day, I think I'll try making one for muzzle loading. Nipple wrench, pick, screw driver, barrel wedge puller, 2 or3 blades, saw, file, pliers. Some other stuff, if you are a flinter.
Glen
 
plinker 777 said:
Hmmm, seems to me what you're inquiring about is more like what I refer to as my "oh sh1t" bag. (possibles bag is for your gun...all stop.) In my "oh sh1t" bag however, I carry everything that would ease the question of "oh sh1t! {fill in the blank} has happened...now what!?" The answer is ALWAYS in that bag (and gotten me out of the sh1t more times than I can count). When I'm in the bush THAT bag goes everywhere with me, always.

As some have said, there is a lot of merit to having an attachment to the waist rather than the "man purse" set up. I like and use a hybrid of a belt/waist attachment with an adjustable crossed shoulders strap. I find this to not move around, getting caught, doesn't swing around, stays close to the body and yet easily accessible.
Click to expand...

So how big is your "oh ####" bag, and what do you keep in it? Mine is a real old canvas and leather "Carson 1 1/2" back pack that I rescued from a truck headed to the dump when I was 12. It is just one big pocket so I keep my things in stuff sacks and don't have any problem finding stuff.The thing I like about this old pack is the flap and buckle closure which allows me to shove a folding chair, pair of snowshoes, jacket, or any thing else that is bulky or that I wish to keep handy sideways through the closure belts.

The contents of this bag change with the seasons but I generally have

Extra sweater and/or rain poncho
Gloves and touque
Folding saw
Multitool or knife.
Roll of string and/ or a bit of rope
A ziplock bag with TP, a cigarette lighter, lens wipes.
Tape and wire
Headlamp, GPS, camera' and fresh batteries.
Water bottle
Bug spray and head net when needed.

In hunting season I also have some binoculars, hunting tags, and amo in there. In the winter I have kick wax, climbing skins, and a thermometer. Like I said I rarely take the whole thing when hunting, just shove what I need (very little) in my pockets. Like I said, the ability to bring along one or two "oh ####" items in a smaller, more handy, pouch would sometimes be nice.
 
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I also made a "bullet board" from a cheap piece of plastic cutting board my wife was tossing out. Worked like a charm with a patched ball or 5. Also a 300 Win Mag brass holds exactly, filled to the base of the neck, my BP charge. I topped it off with a cast lead 30 cal bullet pushed in the neck and tapped in place. As a field loader it's about perfect. Tear off the tapped bullet and drop the charge down the barrel. It's a perfect funnel with no mess or spilled charge and the large base diameter of the 300 mag brass prevents it from entering the barrel. When hunting I just kept 2 or these in my pocket, for speed, and a few caps in a tin.
 
Hmm, well, I do most of my bush stomping is for pleasure not work, so we're talking late spring to mid fall excursions (hypothermia not an equation generally) and with a canoe and it's associated pack.
The "Oh sh1t" pack is perhaps 3 liters in size and is designed to help if I become separated from the canoe (or have damaged the canoe to the point it becomes useless) and I'm forced to "walk out".

You'll have to design your own for the area you're in, but there are a few items that are in my opinion universal: Map of the area and compass (the map is protected from getting wet), fire starting, (I have several butane lighters, waterproof matches, flint&steel, and tinder, candles (2) as well as store bought fire starter "sticks", fatwood if you can find some.), stick "pop" flares, light sticks (snap and shake), magnifying glass, small tarp (I carry 2 emergency blankets, dual use), fishing line, hooks, weights, snare line, and a store bought sling shot rubbers and pouch (multipurpose as a {gulp} tourniquet.) Cut you're own "Y" stick and voila, birds.

Knife; I carry 2 in the oh sh1t bag, a large Victorianox with the gazillion tools on it...you know the type, and a leatherman. These are quite secondary in design as I always carry a belt knife when in the bush and assume that when sh1t hits the fan, I'll still have the belt knife.
So far what is incorporated will take care of fire, shelter and the ability to eat (which is really the least of my concern) and signalling for rescue if necessary.

What is not yet addressed is the alpha problem...water. We all know there's lots in Ontario, however it isn't safe to drink, or may not be safe to drink, and it would be near impossible to walk out of anywhere with a fever while sh1tting yourself with violent diarrhea. I carry a filtration system in my main pack but that maybe gone... so, in my oh sh1t bag you will find iodine (again dual purpose) and water purification tablets with a collapsible steel cup. (invaluable item, hard to boil water without a container of some description) I also take antihistamine tablets (negates body's swelling reaction), aspirin (when dehydrated, the accompanying headache I find nearly debilitating...and you will become dehydrated). Another universal item most don't think about is duct tape, put a roll in there. It's relatively light and has a million uses from securing splints, holding lacerations closed, to repairing a hole punched in that canoe I mentioned, signalling, shelter, an on and on, and on...

It requires some thought on your part, the pack is not "an everything + kitchen sink" type of thing. It is designed to be light (or you won't carry it negating it's benefit) and have multipurpose items that will last several days (a week?) and nights. If to walk out would take longer, it may be a better idea to stay put and wait for help. (which is on it's way two days after you went awol because you told someone where you're going and when you expect to be back...right!? ;))
 
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While not even remotely traditional, I utilize a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack that had been collecting dust. In fact, I find it sized right for light carry and great for organizing BP stuff + other essentials for a day in the field.
 
plinker 777 said:
Hmm, well, I do most of my bush stomping is for pleasure not work, so we're talking late spring to mid fall excursions (hypothermia not an equation generally) and with a canoe and it's associated pack.
The "Oh sh1t" pack is perhaps 3 liters in size and is designed to help if I become separated from the canoe (or have damaged the canoe to the point it becomes useless) and I'm forced to "walk out".

You'll have to design your own for the area you're in, but there are a few items that are in my opinion universal: Map of the area and compass (the map is protected from getting wet), fire starting, (I have several butane lighters, waterproof matches, flint&steel, and tinder, candles (2) as well as store bought fire starter "sticks", fatwood if you can find some.), stick "pop" flares, light sticks (snap and shake), magnifying glass, small tarp (I carry 2 emergency blankets, dual use), fishing line, hooks, weights, snare line, and a store bought sling shot rubbers and pouch (multipurpose as a {gulp} tourniquet.) Cut you're own "Y" stick and voila, birds.

Knife; I carry 2 in the oh sh1t bag, a large Victorianox with the gazillion tools on it...you know the type, and a leatherman. These are quite secondary in design as I always carry a belt knife when in the bush and assume that when sh1t hits the fan, I'll still have the belt knife.
So far what is incorporated will take care of fire, shelter and the ability to eat (which is really the least of my concern) and signalling for rescue if necessary.

What is not yet addressed is the alpha problem...water. We all know there's lots in Ontario, however it isn't safe to drink, or may not be safe to drink, and it would be near impossible to walk out of anywhere with a fever while sh1tting yourself with violent diarrhea. I carry a filtration system in my main pack but that maybe gone... so, in my oh sh1t bag you will find iodine (again dual purpose) and water purification tablets with a collapsible steel cup. (invaluable item, hard to boil water without a container of some description) I also take antihistamine tablets (negates body's swelling reaction), aspirin (when dehydrated, the accompanying headache I find nearly debilitating...and you will become dehydrated). Another universal item most don't think about is duct tape, put a roll in there. It's relatively light and has a million uses from securing splints, holding lacerations closed, to repairing a hole punched in that canoe I mentioned, signalling, shelter, an on and on, and on...

It requires some thought on your part, the pack is not "an everything + kitchen sink" type of thing. It is designed to be light (or you won't carry it negating it's benefit) and have multipurpose items that will last several days (a week?) and nights. If to walk out would take longer, it may be a better idea to stay put and wait for help. (which is on it's way two days after you went awol because you told someone where you're going and when you expect to be back...right!? ;))
Click to expand...

Not much of an optimist, are you? LOL. It's a lot easier hunting in farm and ranch country, by the sound of it. My kit doesn't include any of that stuff, but then most of my hunting is either on my own land, or close by. My emergency gear is a cell phone, and I usually know where I can get a signal. It has a compass app, and a nav app. I have started carrying a plastic 5 gallon pail, with my binocs, elk call, a sweater, rain jacket in it, some times. When I find a good spot, I sit on the pail.
 
Easyrider said:
Not much of an optimist, are you? LOL. It's a lot easier hunting in farm and ranch country, by the sound of it. My kit doesn't include any of that stuff, but then most of my hunting is either on my own land, or close by. My emergency gear is a cell phone, and I usually know where I can get a signal. It has a compass app, and a nav app. I have started carrying a plastic 5 gallon pail, with my binocs, elk call, a sweater, rain jacket in it, some times. When I find a good spot, I sit on the pail.
Click to expand...

I hunt as far back as I can get, most notably using a canoe to run rivers for up to two weeks. Cell service is usually non existant. Event if it wasn't I wouldn't take a cellphone, I also insist that any partner I might have (done plenty of these trips solo) go without a cell phone. Theres practically no bigger downer on a hunting trip than your partner spending all evening texting his girlfriend, or trying to talk somebody through a problem at work IMO.

Most of the time I feel pretty safe but I like to hunt big timber so the backpack is a pain, I'm also a pretty active hunter. I stillhunt, I climb, I hike, I track... all of this means I am usually dressed pretty lightly, if I were to get lost in cold weather I would have to keep a pretty big fire going to survive a cold night, and it wouldn't be much fun. Thus my fixation with the ability to bring an extra sweater.
 
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